In sport, we always talk about teamwork and team building, and how this could be the difference between winning or losing.
Today, we face this very same question at work; as we head back into our workplaces, we will need to re-build our teams. We may well have lost some communication skills with work colleagues, and the group dynamic may have changed due to social distancing and people not being around one another for quite some time.
We will have to spend some time rebuilding our workplace and environments, including putting teams back together. Team building will be a key component for this as it will help set corporate culture as a base for communication and identifying potential leaders.
In my view, this is a priority for workplaces – we need to get back to being part of a team, understanding where we all fit in to make the team work more efficiently and ensure we maintain clear communication. The key areas of goal setting and decision making will need to be discussed, to help give everyone a clear view of what they need to do as a part of the team moving forward.
Tips for team building
- Exercise as team/group, twice a week for four to six weeks, to help build a healthy culture within your workplace. Train with a different person each session.
- Plan a teambuilding day and spend the day mapping out and goal setting for the next six months. Set a team goal for everyone to work towards together.
- Choose an event to do together as a team.
- Hold ‘walking meetings’.
- Host activities outside of work, such as enjoying a meal together, within physical distancing guidelines.
- Collaborate with one another on a project and ensure you share your experiences of what is/is not working.
- Practise constructive and honest communication with all team members.
Team workout
Warm up: 10 mins walking
Do these exercises as a team relay: partner up and set up two points 20m apart. Run the 20m, do the exercise, and run back to tag your partner for their turn.
- 10 x push-ups
- 10 x sit-ups
- 10 x squat jumps
- 10 x ‘spins’: look up, extend your arms up and spin around to the right, before running back (this is a fun one!)
- 10 x hops, each leg
- 10 secs plank
- 10 x seated punches above your head, each arm
- Leap frog out and back, as a pair
Cool down: 5 mins walking
Stretching: hamstrings, quads, lower back rolls
With Lee Campbell, bfirm.com.au
